Co-Merge Office Space – a super hip, innovative working environment that allows for start up companies to have a shared work space that builds connections and communities. Co-Merge has a great layout, designed to the T with beautiful fixtures and furniture and offers its tenants Wednesday Yoga sessions, Taco Tuesday outings, networking events such as Score and other business networking groups, and Start-Up Mornings where young companies are able to pitch their business ideas in front of an audience for real feedback. They also feature local artists in their hallways and provide an incredible roof top garden space to take clients and to take a break from a long day of work. Cassidy, their fabulous office manager, organizes the local businesses that work at Co-Merge into a real community by planning events, networking on their social media sites, and offering a friendly smile at the front door. Robert & Michael, co-owners of Co-Merge, have designed a truly innovating working environment that draws people in and makes them love working. Oh, and did we mention they serve Virtuoso coffee in their break room? What more could you ask for in a work space?

Today I was helping a customer check out. He was mature gentleman and he was gripping a bag of our Sabor de Sagovia coffee from Nicaragua. He asked me if I knew where this coffee was from. I haven’t visited Nicaragua yet, so was doing my best to describe the region it came from based on looking at a map and the description of the coffee from the importer we buy it from. There was a small smile at the corner of his mouth, and after a minute of patiently listening to me, he began to tell me about this region and the story of his childhood in Nicaragua. He spoke of traveling into the mountains of the north bordering Honduras and of the smell of coffee being roasted at the farms. He closed his eyes as he talked about intensity of the flavors and of the joy he experienced on these adventures with his father. I found myself mesmerized and I felt I could almost see the scenes and smell the coffee there.

It is not uncommon for me to have these experiences with customers. It struck me after this customer had left, how coffee seems to form such an integral part of the fabric of many of our lives. For me, this very human experience was one of the main reasons I wanted to enter the coffee business and it feeds my passion on a daily basis. Just when I am feeling exhausted or frustrated with some aspect of our business, I stop to chat with a customer and leave the conversation feeling excited, energized and with a renewed passion for what we are doing. I look forward to learning your coffee story!

Our account spotlight for this week is our cute Hawaiian themed cafe in Pacific Beach, Leilani’s Cafe. The owner of this cute cafe is Leilani herself, an island native that runs her business with a focus on the importance of family. Her two children, Monique and Chris both work in her cafe and help her run operations. This place is adorable and full of locals, craving her Kona Blend coffee and delicious pastries. Visit her at 5109 Cass St, San Diego in Pacific Beach!

Quest for Quality

Cafe Virtuoso strives to procure, roast and deliver the best quality coffee in San Diego. Our coffees are Certified Organic, Fair Trade and otherwise produced and purchased in a sustainable manner. We provide our wholesale customers with unparalleled service and our retail customers with a cup of coffee that we are proud to have compared to any other.